Students drill to reach higher – Junior ROTC off and running

Flight Commander Cody Prince, facing center left, and Flight Sgt. Alexandria Graebert lead their Echo Flight Nighthawks in stretching and exercises at the start of a JROTC session held at Howell High School.
(Photo: ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS)

Though their eyes are on the skies, Howell High School's Junior Air Force ROTC students are also moving their feet — and not just during their weekly drills.

"We hit the ground running," said retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth Reinhart, who is one of the first-year program's two instructors.

Howell Public Schools officials only authorized the program in May, leaving little time for promotional events, yet it has already attracted more than 120 students. The district hopes to bring that figure to 150 students in future years.

It's a first-of-its-kind program not just for Howell, but for Livingston County, and is seen as a potential magnet for Schools of Choice students from outside the district.

Retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth Reinhart gives directions to Howell High School Junior Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members as to how he wants them to fall into formation and march.(Photo: ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS)

Junior ROTC is a high school version of the U.S. military's collegiate Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.

Junior ROTC students attend leadership training classes, taught by Reinhart, as well as classes in Air Force and other military history taught by retired Lt. Col. Sarah Scullion, a fellow USAF retiree. Scullion is a Howell resident (see related story) while Reinhart came to the district from the Air Force Junior ROTC program in Garden City.

Students also participate in fitness training and weekly drill and inspection sessions, spending five hours a week in the program.

All materials, including uniforms, are provided by the Air Force.

While not everyone has their uniform yet, all students, including the program's 17 females, must adhere to military grooming standards.

Junior ROTC members participate in a game of Ultimate Frisbee after a warmup session in Howell High School. The game is designed to build leadership and teamwork skills among the participating students.(Photo: ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS)

Students do not have to join the Air Force, or any branch of service, after graduation. They also don't have to participate in ROTC should they go to college.

But there are incentives for those who do.

"If you do join the Air Force, you can go in at a higher rate of pay," said student Austin Spisak.

Fellow student Easton Dutkiewicz said he expects the program will give him a leg up as he continues his studies in college.

"I do plan on going to Western (Michigan) and continuing in ROTC," he said.

Dutkiewicz is one of several students who came to the program from the area's Civil Air Patrol cadet program, a separate, out-of-school-based program for those 12-21.

"Having that program here has been one of the reasons we've been able to attract students the way we have," Reinhart said.

Howell's location, between Ann Arbor and East Lansing, bodes well for the program's future, Reinhart said.

Both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University maintain active ROTC programs. MSU's students already contribute surplus sweats and T-shirts to the high school program.

While the Howell district also has a ground-school program for student pilots, that program doesn't cross over into the Junior ROTC program.

"Like us, it's an elective, and students only have so many elective hours," Reinhart said.

Howell's program is among 800 similar programs at high schools throughout the nation.

Successful completion of the program allows students to enlist at the airman first class level upon graduation.

The program's estimated $60,000 cost involves hiring the two retired Air Force officers to direct the classes.

But leadership will come from the students themselves.

Based on their experience, and leadership abilities they've demonstrated, Spisak is already serving as a flight commander, while Dutkiewicz serves as a first sergeant, each with responsibilities in running drills and inspections.

Each student, Reinhart said, is expected to develop the self-discipline necessary for success not only in the program but in all their other classes.

Disciplined, self-motivated students, of course, are every teacher's dream.

"Really, this should be the easiest class you'll ever have to teach," Reinhart said.